


my weakness

by pendules



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-29 20:59:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12093306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pendules/pseuds/pendules
Summary: "So,something'schanged," Roman prompts gently."You know," Dean muses, almost to himself, gaze firmly fixed on the road in front of him. "When I hit him with that briefcase last June, I told myself we weredone. Whatever there was between us, it was — gone. It wasfinished. And it was easy to believe that when I didn't have tolookat him — but now, he's just right fuckingthere. And I can't — I can't get him out of my head —"





	my weakness

**Author's Note:**

> Set after the 17/07 and 14/08 episodes of RAW.

"You can tell me if I'm out of line," Roman says, seemingly out of nowhere. "But why didn't you do it?"

They've been driving in silence for at least twenty minutes. Dean doesn't think he's actually _looked_ at Roman once since they got in the car; he's just been staring out the window, at buildings and trees and fields without really seeing any of them. 

"Do what?" Dean answers absently, still not looking at him.

"You _know_ what."

He's been trying not to think about it, but his head's been spinning with everything that happening tonight — everything that Seth said and did, the vulnerable look in his eyes, the way he'd just stood there with his back exposed, arms spread wide, waiting for Dean to make his move —

Dean shrugs. "He was just doing it for show. You know Seth."

"Do you _really_ believe that?" Roman asks, sounding skeptical.

Dean finally turns to him just to level him with a betrayed expression.

"Hey, I'm not here to take sides —" Roman says, defensively.

Dean sighs, shakes his head for a second. "I don't know _who_ Seth is anymore," he admits. "I don't think _he_ even knows. How am I supposed to trust anything he says? At least I knew where the hell we stood before."

"You would've done it a year ago," Roman tells him.

"Hell _yeah_ , I would've. Gladly."

"So, _something's_ changed," Roman prompts gently.

"You know," Dean muses, almost to himself, gaze firmly fixed on the road in front of him. "When I hit him with that briefcase last June, I told myself we were _done_. Whatever there was between us, it was — gone. It was _finished_. And it was easy to believe that when I didn't have to _look_ at him — but now, he's just right fucking _there_. And I can't — I can't get him out of my head —"

Roman just gives him a sympathetic look.

"Seth's my weakness," Dean murmurs. "Always has been. Ever since I walked into FCW and laid eyes on him for the first time. It's just this — _feeling_. Under your skin. And sometimes you think maybe it's finally gone for good. But then he's standing right in front of you and saying all this shit you never imagined he would in your wildest fucking dreams — and it comes back, in full fucking force. And you just — you just can't _shake_ it. No matter what you do."

"Did you believe him?" Roman asks quietly. "When he said he was sorry."

"I don't know," Dean answers honestly. "Maybe I did. For a second. And maybe that's dangerous."

Roman doesn't say anything to that, just nods slowly, and they fall back into silence.

*

"Why'd you do it?" Dean asks abruptly, when they're backstage — after everything, after punching each other in the face a few times for good measure, after chasing off the tag team champs, after officially getting the match for Summerslam.

"What?" Seth says, looking up at him, obviously startled. It's still fucking strange to see Seth like this, without any of his pretences and lies to protect him, all his guards torn down. He's almost like the Seth he first met, younger, more open, full of reckless hope and raw emotion.

"You never actually told _me_ why you did it," Dean says evenly. 

He's spouted a lot of bullshit over the years — about business partners, about how he'd done them all a favour and they'd thank him one day for it — but they were never for _Dean's_ benefit, he knows. They were all half-hearted attempts to convince the fans, convince _himself_ — but he had to know that Dean would never buy any of it. And he's never stood face-to-face with Dean like this before, looked him in the eye, and told him the harsh, painful truth of it. And Dean _needs_ it now more than he ever has. He needs an explanation before they can move on — and it's only right at this very moment that he realises how _desperately_ he wants that. How badly he wants Seth back. And maybe he always has. Maybe his promise to himself last June was actually forgiveness, too, somehow. Maybe it was him choosing to let go — not of _Seth_ , but of the past, of the pain and the anger and the weight that's been dragging his very soul down for the last three years. Maybe it was him giving them a chance for the future. For this moment right now.

Seth takes a breath before looking him right in the face and saying, as clear as day, "Because you were my weakness."

Dean frowns at him, confused.

"Do you remember that match at Extreme Rules, against Evolution?" he continues.

"Of course I do," Dean says at once.

"I jumped off that balcony," Seth says, breathlessly. "I didn't even _think_ about it. You were getting hurt — pretty bad — and I couldn't let that happen. Even if I ended up breaking my neck to do it."

" _Oh_ ," is all Dean can reply, slightly dazed, his heart beating faster in his chest.

"It _scared_ me, you know?" Seth says, almost in a whisper. "The things I was willing to do for you. For Roman. It wasn't supposed to be like that, you know? It was supposed to be about getting to the top of the mountain. All by myself. Like I dreamt of for _so many years_. And I _knew_ I couldn't do that without destroying The Shield — destroying _us_."

"You meant it," Dean realises, and it feels like something finally righting itself inside of him after years of being askew.

"Yeah, I meant it. I was stupid — _so fucking stupid_." He shakes his head slowly, gaze falling to the ground, in regret. Dean has a sudden urge to reach out and touch him, make him look at him again — but then he raises his head, a determined look in his eyes.

"I don't care about the top of the mountain anymore. I just want — I just care about _this_ ," he says, gesturing between them.

"I can't believe we're actually fucking doing this," Dean says, staring at him with wide eyes.

Seth smiles softly at him.

"After that match — you said that you'd pick me up and carry me out the building if I crashed and burned. Does that still hold?" he asks, his tone earnest, hopeful.

"Yeah," Dean tells him, nodding. "Yeah, it does." And he finds that he means it with everything he has.


End file.
